


Evil Exes and Ex Evils

by Icarus_Flying_Not_Falling



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Hurt!Barry, Hurt/Comfort, Len and Mick are beautiful, M/M, More tags/characters to be added as I go, Past Abuse, Rape/Non-con Elements, but it's enough that I'll label this, in chapter 5 (i think) Oscar is a creep, like it isn't the most physical he could have gotten, protective!Len, protective!Mick, tags to be updated as I go, to be on the safe side
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-20
Updated: 2018-07-21
Packaged: 2019-03-07 07:07:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13429494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Icarus_Flying_Not_Falling/pseuds/Icarus_Flying_Not_Falling
Summary: Stupid title, but whatever.Barry runs into an evil ex and pretends that Len is his date.





	1. Saints and Sinners

**Author's Note:**

> Who knows what the heck I'm doing gang. I'm just...writing. So sorry if my writing gets repetitive or shit, it's just a stress reliever.
> 
> Gotta have the evil ex, coz I'm trying to deal with mine. So essentially this is entirely a self-indulgent thing coz I wish that I had a couple of people who took me under their wing and kept my ex away from me (I kinda did but like...not as much as I needed) Sorry I'm rambling. The point is probably something. Whatever, just enjoy the story. Or not. That's up to you I guess XD

"Hey Barr, it's been so long!" 

Barry flinched as a large hand landed on his shoulder heavily. Hesitantly, he turned to look at who it was that had spoken. As he did, his stomach dropped. The voice was sickeningly familiar. When the man’s square jaw and piercing blue eyes came into focus, Barry’s fear were confirmed. 

"Hey Oscar. Yeah, I guess it's been a while." Barry wished he never had to see Oscar again. Suddenly, all his Flash training, all his confidence ran out of him. He was just thin, fragile Barry Allen.

"Shame. Why don't you come with me and we can catch up again?" Oscar winked grotesquely. Barry’s stomach rolled in disgust.

"Sorry, I'm waiting for my date." Internally, Barry cursed himself. A date? Bullshit. Barry had an abysmal day at work and decided to spend his night at Saints and Sinners to forget about it, even if alcohol could no longer effect him. 

"You really got someone else to deal with you?"

Teeth clenched, a simple answer seemed best. "Yep.”

"Ha! That's likely.” Oscar sneered cruelly. “Tell you what, I'll leave you alone if you show me your date. If not, you come with me." 

"I don't want to go with you." Barry’s voice wavered pathetically.

Oscar fumed, looming over Barry’s slight form and tightening his grip on his shoulder so it was painful. "Do you think I give a shit about what you want? You're sexier than last time I saw you."

Barry was suddenly indescribably uncomfortable he was at how close the other man was standing to him. "That might have something to do with the fact that last time you saw me, I was on a stretcher in an ambulance because of you."

"Well you were an annoying shit. You deserved it. And I'm sure your date would agree with me. Sometimes you need a little smack to keep you in line. More than that, if necessary. Speaking of, this place is suspiciously missing your date. I'm starting to get impatient, Barry." The last few words sounded ore like growls than a sentence.

"Be patient! I was five minutes early."

Barry's heart climbed into his throat as he kept his gaze intently on the door. The next person who came through the door would just need to put up with him for a few minutes until he could get rid of Oscar. He couldn't leave with the man. If he did, he'd probably never be seen again. Or at the very least, he'd be spending the night recovering at STAR Labs. He prayed someone would walk through the door. Anyone.

Leonard Snart walked through the door. If Barry could do so without raising suspicion, he would've shouted every curse word he knew as loudly as possible. Instead, he put a wide grin on his face and shrugged off Oscar's hand, striding across the room. As he got closer to the figure now sitting at the bar, he tried to ignore the frantic beating of his heart against his ribs, and the feeling of eyes watching him intently from where he'd just been standing. 

He was now standing behind Snart, who had yet to notice him. Sighing softly, he figured he should just commit himself now and deal with the consequences later. And with that final thought, Barry flung his arms around Leonard in an embrace, resting his head on the man's shoulder. To Snart's credit, he gave no outward show of alarm.

"Scarlet. You have approximately 10 seconds to explain why you are touching me."

"My ex is here and I couldn't get away from him, so I told him you were my date." Barry managed to choke the sentence out past gritted teeth.

"Didn't know you swung this way, Kid." Leonard snorted, amused.

"Well I do. Problem?"

"Well that'd be hypocritical of me. Now have a seat. I can feel your heartbeat and it’s making me stressed." Even though he kept a carefully neutral expression, Len was concerned with Barry’s behaviour. He kid was hard to scare.

Gratefully, Barry sunk into the stool next to Leonard's, willing his heart to calm slightly. No such luck.

"So, which one here is your ex?" Len tried to keep his voice conversational.

"Big guy by the jukebox. Looks kind of like a tank."

"Your ex is Oscar? What the actual fuck were you thinking, dating someone like that?"

Barry wasn’t sure if he should be concerned that Leonard knew his ex. And if he should be even more concerned by the fact that Snart seemed to deem Oscar a bad guy. But there was no point questioning that right now, so he shrugged. "I was eighteen and he seemed nice to start with."

"Allen, you and I are getting out of here and you're going to talk about this some more. Deal?" 

Barry nodded slightly, and rose to his feet once more. Len followed suit, wrapping an arm around Barry's waist.

"What are you doing?" He squeaked. Snart smirked, eyes glinting with amusement.

"Well, we're on a date, aren't we?"

Barry was saved answering when a towering shadow blocked their path. 

"No way. Barr, you really mean to tell me that you are dating Snart? You really think you're important enough for someone like him? Be realistic." Barry blushed at Oscar’s sarcastic taunts.

Len intervened before Barry even had time to think about responding. "And I suppose you think he ought to go with someone like you? I'm afraid that is impossible, as he is my boyfriend." His voice was like ice.

"Right, well if anyone is able to keep him in line, I'm sure you can. I must warn you though, he's a bit of a slut."

Barry stared intently at the ground, willing it to open up and swallow him, blushing even deeper with shame. Len was apoplectic when he caught Barry’s gleaming eyes. The kid was about to cry.

Suddenly, Oscar was spun around and was met with a mighty fist to his face. The man crumpled to the ground revealing Mick Rory standing over him, fists clenched and chest heaving.

“I thought the cutie could use a bit of help.” He grumbled by way of explanation.

Len subtly tightened his grip on Barry's waist. "Come on Kid, let's get you home."

Barry nodded numbly, and allowed Mick and Len to guide him to their car.


	2. Conversations with the Enemy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry, Len and Mick have a little chat, and more is revealed about Barry's past with Oscar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all working out my uni timetable is so stressful it's like it's not worth going to uni if I have to do this first. In other news, I'm so excited to be going!!!!
> 
> If you guys haven't noticed, I'm a pretty predictable writer when it comes to fanfiction. So, sorry about that, I guess. I just write what I personally want to read.

The three men were huddled in Len’s nearest safehouse. At first Barry had been surprised they hadn’t just dropped him home, but Len was insistent that they talk through what had just happened. He wasn’t sure he wanted to divulge the truth about his past relationship with the two dangerous men, but it didn’t look like he’d have much choice. 

Mick cut into the uncomfortable silence. “So I might need a little context here.”

Barry opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came out. Len swiftly answered for him, squeezing his shoulder in sympathy. “This here is Barry Allen, works for the CCPD in CSI.   
And Oscar was his ex-boyfriend.”

“And you know a CSI…how?”

“This and that. Run into each other a few times.” Mick nodded, content with the answer, and let Len shift the focus to Barry, who was sitting miserably in between them, hunched in on himself.

“So Kid, you said you were eighteen and he seemed nice? Why don’t you expand on that?”

Barry cleared his throat and rasped out his answer. “I don’t see why we need to talk about this. It’s all in the past now, and none of this is your business, Snart.”

“Oh really? If you recall, I just faked being your boyfriend in there so you could get away from him! That makes this my business. Besides, Oscar has been poking around this city long enough. You talk to me about what you know about him, and I could convince people who run in my circles to kick him out of the city. Doesn’t that sound nice, Allen?” Snart’s voice was sharp, flowing with irritation and concern. Taking a few deep breaths, he calmed and softened his voice. “So Allen, you were eighteen and he was nice.”

“Well yeah.” Barry looked stunned at Snart’s outburst, as did Mick. Such heavy displays of emotion were not common in the man. Still, he figured that telling Snart some details would be okay if it meant he wouldn’t need to run into Oscar again. “I was visiting dad in prison and he was visiting his brother. He said his brother was innocent, so we just kind of bonded over it. He understood how I was feeling about dad, so we ended up going out.”

Len ground his teeth at the image of an eighteen-year-old Barry being tricked into trusting the older man. Although he’d just met the kid, Mick also had a deep-set frown on his face at the image. A boy finally finding someone who he thought he could talk to, not knowing how wrong he was. The idea of such an easy manipulation made him sick. Barry must have noticed their expressions, because he jumped in to add a hasty reassurance.

“But really, the relationship was okay. A few rough spots but he wasn’t bad or anything. Definitely not dangerous like you’re trying to say.” The lies tasted like ash in his mouth, and he could see that neither man had bought the lie. If anything, they looked even angrier.

“Barry, did you have any idea how dangerous that man was?” Len ground out.

“I don’t see why you care! You said you’re here for facts, and this isn’t important in helping getting him kicked out of the organised crime rings, Snart! I’m grateful that you both helped me, but I’m not gonna tell you personal details about my life just to satisfy your curiosity.”

Mick’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. The kid looked fragile, but it turns out that if you set him off just right, he was brimming with rage that made him almost intimidating. Almost. He knew that Snart actually cared about the kid, even if the kid himself didn’t know it. And Mick himself felt that he was starting to care for Barry too. The kid just had something about him that drew Mick in; made him want to protect him from scumbags like Oscar for the rest of his life. Deciding to voice and extremely watered-down version of this revelation, he spoke.

“Well, I don’t know you, but Len here does and I’m not in the habit of letting people like him bully around small sweethearts like yourself who can’t defend themselves.” He threw in a playful wink, just to drive the message home.

Len snorted, mumbling about irony, while Barry flushed and grinned shyly. Mick was the one who broke the new lighter atmosphere, reminding Barry that he still hadn’t answered Len’s question. The shy smile that had grown on his face dropped dramatically, replaced with a grimace. 

“Okay fine. No, I hadn’t joined the CCPD yet and didn’t want to come out to Joe, so he couldn’t tell me about Oscar’s record either. Recently I searched his file on the database and read it all.”

“And you still want us to believe you when you said that you weren’t in any danger? Fuck off, that’s garbage.” Mick grunted. 

“Well call it garbage all you want, Rory, it’s the truth!” Barry snapped. No one had actually talked to him about this before. Joe and Iris had tried, but he’d always been able to convince them he didn’t need to talk, that he was fine. And so reluctantly, they had backed off. But even now, a year and a half after the break up, they would remind Barry he should talk to them about anything he wanted to. He had not taken them up on the offer. 

Len didn’t seem to agree with their approach, because he scoffed angrily, throwing his arms up in the air and noticing Barry’s slight flinch away from him. “You can’t pull that with us, Allen! You expect us to believe that relationship wasn’t dangerous? You’ve read his file! You know he’s been to prison multiple times before he dated you. You know that he’s been charged with rape and battery of at least ten people! And did you know that he’s put all his exes in the hospital? Fuck Allen, did you never find out, in all the time that you dated, that he was nearly two decades older than you with a long list of felonies behind him?”

Barry looked ashamed. “I – I didn’t know that when we were dating. By the time I realised he was bad news, I wasn’t really in a position where I was able to find out that kind of thing about him.”

Mick frowned. “Why weren’t you in a position to do that?”

“He got me to move in with him and monitored everything I did. I couldn’t look him up on the internet because he’d be able to find out.” Barry shrugged, trying to keep up a calm façade, but his breathing was getting away from him. His heart, which had slowed since leaving the bar, picked up the pace once more, speeding at twice the rate of a normal human heart.

“Barry, you need to calm down.” Len’s soothing voice cut through him and he felt a cool hand gripping one of his own. He understood why. His hands were shaking so much they were practically vibrating, in a very recognisable way. He tried to focus his efforts on slowing the shaking, but it came too late. He heard a gasp from above him as Mick looked at his hands.

“This is The Flash?”

Len cursed lowly. “Yes Mick. You need to swear you won’t tell anyone. I have a good deal going with Scarlet that I don’t need ruined.”

Mick considered the trembling young CSI before him, eyes gleaming with unshed tears of panic. The growing sense of connection with the kid had increased as he’d opened up more. There was no way he’d put the kid in danger like that. “Of course, I promise. Wow, can’t say you were what I was expecting, Doll.”

Barry chuckled cynically, eyes cast on the ground. “Yeah, I guess I look pretty pathetic compared to The Flash.”

Len hastened to correct him, slinging an arm around his shoulder while glaring at Mick as though he had personally insulted Barry. 

“Of course you’re not. Mick didn’t mean it in that way, did you Mick?” The last words were thrown at Mick, sharp enough to cut ice. 

“Nah, I really didn’t. I just didn’t expect The Flash would be this cute. Now I know why Len is obsessed with you.”

Barry’s hard expression dropped and he looked between the now protesting Len and the smug Mick, before giggling softly. And with that sound, the tension in the room dropped. The criminals knew better than to try and ask Barry questions. The last thing they wanted was for the boy to run off, or to just completely close them out. Not when he was starting to open up to them. But one last question couldn’t hurt, Len decided.

“Who knows about this?”

Barry chewed his bottom lip. “Not many people. I don’t really like to think about it, and up until now he was in jail for unrelated offences. Joe and Iris know that I got out of a bad relationship, but didn’t know with whom, or what exactly was bad about it. I refused to tell them. Other than that, Caitlin and Cisco both have access to my medical record, but don’t know what caused any of my past injuries. And that’s about it. And I managed to hide even having a relationship to my Dad, so he never knew.”

“So you never opened up to anyone?” Mick’s eyes shone with concern. Bottling emotions wasn’t healthy, something he knew from experience.

“I just didn’t want them to know. They’d treat me differently.”

“Well maybe you need to be treated a little differently! If they knew, they could avoid doing stuff that accidentally upsets you – don’t look at me like that, Allen. You flinched earlier when I raised my arm. You can’t tell me you don’t do things like that with them.”

Barry rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, so I guess you’re right, but I still don’t want to tell them. The thought of it is…I’s scary. God, I can’t believe I just admitted that to my villains.”

Len smirked. “How about we ignore the villain part and you act as if we’re friends. We help you practice in how to open up. Then one day, when you’re ready, you talk to the folk back in your normal life.”

“And what do you get out of this?” Len’s smirk broadened. Barry wasn’t as naïve as the first few times they had crossed paths. 

“I don’t suppose you’d believe me, but I want to spend time with you.”

Mick grunted in agreement, and Barry glared at the pair suspiciously.

“Fine. I guess that sounds okay. But you tell no one about what I say to you.”

“I promise. Now let’s get you home before the good detective gets worried.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With the "fuck off" line, I realised that I don't know the culture around swearing in America. Even though this is set in America, I read the lines in my mind in an Australian accent (idk why) and it sounds totally fine for someone to say "fuck off" in a way which is like "I don't buy your lies" and not mean it in a nasty way. SO that was my intent with that line, but I know culture around swearing is different in different countries. Idk guys, this wasn't really an important thing to ramble about in here.


	3. Turning Events

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry has had a run in, leading to several conversations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gang, to make up for how awful Joe is in my other story ‘Out’, here I will present to you my real opinion of him: Joe, the most beautiful and best dad ever.
> 
>  
> 
> Also…ahhhhh sorry guys, this story was not gonna have any Singh but…well, here we are. I’ll try to keep his involvement to a minimum because it’ll get really boring for you guys if I keep introducing Singh in all my stories as this guy there to help Barry. If I’m wrong about that, let me know.

“Barry, you were supposed to start patrol an hour ago, where the hell are you, man?”

Barry groaned, tugging his aching hand through his hair. “Yeah, I’m sorry Cisco. I’m really…busy tonight, is it okay if I don’t patrol?”

“Are you okay? You sound upset. Do you need a Star Trek night again, bro?”

“Nah, don’t worry about it. I just need the night off.”

“Well if you’re sure…I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Get some sleep.”

Barry slowly lowered his phone, casting his gaze around the house, as if expecting Joe to appear out of nowhere. It was irrational of him; he knew Joe was going to be at work late that night, but he couldn’t risk the man seeing him. Ignoring his own laboured breathing, Barry struggled up from the couch and limped to the bathroom, turning to face himself in the mirror. The view wasn’t pretty.

He harboured a black eye and what he suspected was a broken nose. Aside from that, he could feel the bruising that littered his torso, and the throbbing in his ankle from where a boot had slammed into it. He would be no good as The Flash that night.

For the hundredth time that night he cursed himself. Today had been his first day off work for months, and he’d decided to spend it doing adult things, like grocery shopping. And then, on the way home from the shop, he’d run into Oscar for the first time since their encounter at the bar the week before. Oscar had cornered him with the suggestion that they start dating again. Upon Barry’s adamant refusal, Oscar had turned violent, leaving Barry bleeding and stumbling his way back home. And now here he was, counting down the hours until Joe would come home and promptly flip out. 

It had barely reached nine when Barry heard the tell-tale sound of Joe’s key in the lock. What he was not expecting was the second pair of footsteps that echoed behind the familiar thud of Joe’s feet.

“Barry, I’m home!”

Barry didn’t reply. He was going to put off this confrontation until the bitter end.

“Barry? I know you’re here, where are you?” 

Still no response.

“Allen, get down here now!” 

Fuck. That was Singh. Why did Joe have to invite his boss around to dinner tonight? Barry had worked carefully over the past couple of hours constructing a cover story about what had happened, but he had been doubtful it would withstand the scrutiny of one cop, let alone two. Still, the Captain sounded seconds away from marching up the stairs to find him. Reluctantly, he stretched and got unsteadily to his feet. Although his limp had lessened slightly over the past couple of hours, he still found himself favouring his other foot when he walked. Slowly, he moved along the hall to the stairs, leaning heavily against the wall as he did so. In much the same fashion, he worked his way to the bottom of the stairs, where he was immediately met with the slightly irritated faces of Joe and Singh. Upon catching sight of Barry’s appearance, the looks quickly fell into concern and they moved forward to grip his arms, supporting him over to the couch.

“Allen, what happened?”

“Barry, are you alright?”

“Who did this to you?”

“Why did they do it?”

Barry’s mind reeled, overwhelmed by the number of questions. He cut them off with a heavy sigh. “I’m fine, it’s nothing to worry about.”

“Allen, you look like you were beaten to a pulp!” Singh shouted, furious.

“Yeah, maybe I was. But that doesn’t mean you need to worry. I got mugged on the way back from the grocery store, that’s all.” Barry snapped back defensively, hugging his   
bruised ribs.

“Allen, there’s no way you’re telling me that you were mugged.” Singh’s voice dripped with disbelief. Joe looked equally unwilling to buy his story.

“Why would you think I wouldn’t be able to be mugged?”

“Because I’m a police captain, and you’re The Flash.”

Joe and Barry stared at him, stunned, so he continued. “You honestly thought I wouldn’t notice? Allen, that’s just terrible. But we’re staying on topic. Why didn’t you just use your powers to stop the guy?”

“He – he caught me by surprise and I didn’t want to risk revealing my identity.” That was mostly the truth. Barry had been caught by surprise. And he had wanted to keep his identity secret. What he didn’t want to voice was the wave of panic that had swept across him as soon as he saw the older man, freezing him in place.

“So supervillains don’t catch you by surprise but a mugger does?” Barry really wasn’t appreciating how sceptical of his story Singh was.

“Yes?”

“Barr, I don’t get why you don’t just tell the truth. You’re an awful liar. Who hurt you?” Joe’s pained voice cut in and Barry dropped his eyes to the ground. He always hated lying to Joe. 

“Just this guy.” Might as well keep to a very rough version of the truth.

“Right. And why did he hurt you?”

“Because I was rude to him.” Rude in the eyes of Oscar, at least. Barry didn’t see anything rude in rejecting his ex-boyfriend. It actually sounded pretty healthy to him.

“Allen, you’re lying again.” Damn Singh and damn his perceptive mind.

“Fine, then I wont lie. I’m not gonna talk about it.”

Joe sighed, rubbing his hand against his eyes. “Barr, please. We’re here to help you.”

“Sorry Joe, but I really just don’t want to talk about it. Maybe I’ll tell you at some point, but not now.”

Reluctantly, Joe nodded and stood to get Barry some ice for his eye. Singh turned to Barry. “Seriously Allen, if you’re struggling to talk to Joe about whatever it is, feel free to talk to me. I may not be as close to you as he is, but I want you to know I’m here for you.”

Following dinner, Barry sent off a text to Len as he watched Joe and Singh laugh over a beer.

‘Hey Cold, is it possible we can talk a bit tonight?’

Almost instantly he got a text back.

‘Sure thing Scarlet. Swing by whenever. And where something cute (Mick’s request)’

Barry grinned at his phone.

“Hey Barr, what are you grinning at? Texting a girl?” Joe called across the room to Barry, earning a laugh from Singh. Barry took a breath and made an impulsive decision.

“Actually, girls aren’t really my thing.”

Singh choked on his drink, eyes widening in shock, and Joe froze. Once their shock wore away, they shot evil looks at each other and grinned, leaning forward.

“So it’s some boy. Tell us more.”

“No! That’s stupid Joe, why would you even think that?” Barry shot out defensively. 

“Come on Allen, you can’t leave us knowing nothing! We’re detectives, we’re naturally curious.” Singh nearly whined in disappointment at the idea that Barry wouldn’t tell them the gossip.

“Barr, I’ll steal your phone.” Joe called in warning.

“Good luck with that. I’m leaving. See you both at work tomorrow.”

“Have fun with your boyfriend, Barr!”

“Don’t be late, Allen!”

 

Mick touched the bruises surrounding Barry’s eye tenderly. “What happened, Doll?” 

“Oscar caught me and said I needed to date him again. I said no and here we are.” For some reason, the criminals seemed so easy to be honest with.

“Right. You sit here, and I’ll get Len and tell him what’s going on. Want a tea? Coffee?”

“Some coffee would be great, thanks Mick.”

A few minutes later, Len stalked into the room, staring intently at Barry, who Mick had just handed his coffee to.

“Are you okay, Scarlet?” Len’s voice was soft, almost a whisper.

“Yeah I’m fine. Joe and the Captain saw all this and wanted to know where I got it from. I just – I couldn’t tell them.”

Len took a seat on the couch opposite Barry, adopting an air of professionalism. “Of course, that’s just natural. We’ll start small. How long were you with Oscar?”

“Three years. Tried to end things a few times but he never really took the hint.”

“What would he do to stop you ending things?” Len prompted him.

“He’d – he’d uh…hurt me.” Barry stumbled over the words, feeling the ache of each of his injuries. Mick wrapped his arms around him in a protective hug, ignoring Barry’s puzzled look.

“And did he hurt you often?” Mick wrapped him in his arms even tighter. Barry expected for the arms to painfully squeeze against his bruises and make him feel caged, so it was to his surprise that the arms caused no pain, only offering comfort. Hesitantly, he buried himself deeper into the embrace, before shrugging. This particular line of questioning was new territory. He just wanted to forget these things, not explain all the gory details.

“Okay, never mind. How did you two break up, then?”

Barry smiled faintly. “I got a job with the CCPD. He got scared I’d rat him out, so he put me in the hospital and ran. About a week later he assaulted a police officer and got arrested.”

Len nodded, pondering over all the new information for several minutes before locking serious eyes with Barry, feeling a pulse of fury at the black eye. “I think you should tell Joe.”

“I can’t!” Barry tried to break free from Mick’s arms, but was pinned back into it with ease.

“Yes you can, Barry.” Len insisted in an impassioned tone. “Look, this is important. If Oscar is going after you again, you need to nip it in the bud before he gets ahead of himself.”

“I understand that, but isn’t there any way of avoiding telling him?” Barry asked weakly.

“No Allen. Joe’s a good cop, he’ll be able to help you.”

Barry sighed. “I – yes, I know. But what if…what if he thinks that I’m weak?”

“The man’s been through a lot with you, Barry, give him some credit. Finding out you were in an abusive relationship and need help isn’t going to change that.”

“I…okay. Okay, I’ll do it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys I'm legit so scared to start uni, but also pretty excited.


	4. Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry gives communication a go with some of the fatherly figures in his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, this chapter is probably shit, I'm so sorry. Uni and work and life have been so hectic but semester is coming to an end so I'm sure I'll have more time to write stuff. And hopefully whatever I write in that time is better than this slop.

"You're back early! I thought you'd be out til later, hanging with your boyfriend or whoever you were going to see."

Joe's surprised voice calls out across the living room. Singh was still there, taking the opportunity to just relax with Joe while Rob was out of town. The two policemen assessed Barry. His injuries had almost entirely healed, a definite advantage to super speed. But despite his better physical health, Barry still looked worryingly on edge as he walked across the room to take a seat in front of the two men.

"Yeah, that was the plan, but they convinced me to come and talk with you guys. I need to tell you something...it's important."

The unusually sombre voice caused both detectives to put their absolute focus on Barry, waiting for him to talk. He sighed, and began.

"Joe would remember some of this, but I don't think you were really that interested in my life at this point, sir. It ended a few days into me starting my CSI job."

Singh inclined his head, vaguely recalling that Barry's career had been put on hold with a hospital visit a few days after he had begun. He also recalled that in the time before Barry starting his job as a CSI, Joe had been pulling his hair out because of Barry dropping almost entirely off the face of the earth. This must be the reason why.

"So anyway, I was - that is to say - I had...well, um - you see - "

Singh was beginning to panic silently. Barry was a mess at the best of times, but he was usually a happy mess. The Barry sitting in front of him looked like he was about to cry. He was saved from having to try and figure how to calm Barry down enough to continue by Joe.

"Son, take deep breaths. Whatever it is, we've worked through worse together. I'll stand by your side until the end, Barry, you know that."

Barry shakily nodded. "Right so I was trying to say that I..." He whispered the end of the sentence.

"You'll need to repeat that, Allen." Singh responded softly. It was clear the boy was scared out of his mind, which is saying something considering that this boy was also the great superhero of Central City.

"I was dating someone at the time. And they ended up being...not great."

Singh's stomach dropped out. The implications of that sentence along with the facts he had already known presented a devastating conclusion. A quick glance over at Joe let Singh know that he wasn't the only one feeling ill at those words. Joe's face held an expression of utter heartbreak at his son's suffering.

"What does 'not great' mean exactly, Allen?" Singh thought it best if he do the talking; at this point he doubted Joe would be able to say a single thing.

For his part, Barry just shifted uncomfortably, mumbling to himself. "I don't want to do this. I'm just doing this coz of Snart."

“Snart as in Leonard Snart? You dated that criminal?”

Barry looked stunned at Singh’s question. “Oh, no. I mean you could say we ‘dated’ as in I pretended he was my boyfriend so Oscar would leave me alone the other day, but that’s not really dating so I’d say that -”

Singh cut Barry off. “You know what? We can get to that later. Oscar. That’s your ex?”

Mutely Barry nodded.

“And he was...not great to you when you were together?”

Another nod.

“Could you expand on that?”

“I’d rather not, but Len did say I needed to tell you guys.” Singh blocked the comment from his mind. That was an issue for later. “So I guess he was kind of mean. He kept me away from basically everyone, I was barely allowed to leave the house. He...he hurt me. Sometimes. Quite a lot, actually. Ended up putting me in hospital and running off when I got a job with the CCPD. Then I saw him the other night and had to pretend Snart was my date so Oscar would leave me alone. Then Heatwave knocked him out. But he also looks like he’s an issue again. He - he cornered me today.”

Barry let out the rush of words, silence echoing around the room when he finished talking. 

Singh examined the young man before him. He knew that Barry was tough; he was the Flash, of course he was tough! But seeing him here, looking younger and more vulnerable than Singh had ever seen him before, he felt overwhelmed by the strength of Barry. The young man had survived in an abusive relationship, freed himself from it, and started a new leaf in his life. At the same time as feeling a great rush of pride at the strength of Barry for making it through those awful times, he also felt a deep pain in his chest. Here was a young man that he cared for as if he were family. And the young man was admitting that he had kept this traumatic past a secret from those who loved him most. How long had Barry suffered alone with this? 

While Singh contemplated the issue at hand sitting stoically, Joe had thick tears running down his face. Pulling his son into his arms, he buried his face in Barry’s shoulder, heaving with sobs. He had failed his son. How had he not seen that something was so wrong? He had known something strange was happening, but never in a million year did he think someone would willingly harm Barry. And yet someone had. Some sick fuck hurt his child. 

“You,” Joe rasped. “You mentioned the name Oscar. Got a last name with that?”

Weakly Barry nodded against Joe’s chest. “Oscar Williams.”

Both older men filed the name away to look up at a later date. They were going to find all the information they could about the bastard, and take him down. 

In a weak attempt to lift the morbid atmosphere, Singh asked Barry; “So, how does it feel being helped by your enemies? You said something about Snart and Rory helping out with this?”

Barry grinned back at him shakily. “I can honestly say I have no idea how that happened. Snart was just the first guy to there for me to pretend to know, and Rory just appeared out of nowhere and swooped in.”

“And they were who you went to see tonight, and convinced you to tell us what is going on?”

Barry nodded his head, looking almost proud of the two felons for their acts of kindness.

Singh smirked. “So one or both of them are the hypothetical boyfriend we were talking about earlier?”

The despairing mood of the room vanished and was replaced by laughter as Barry’s face went a brilliant crimson colour, and he opened his mouth wordlessly. Singh smiled softly. That was enough of the serious talk for today at least. Whatever came next, they would figure it out together.


	5. Barry is a Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Singh to step into the spotlight (like he does in all my stories). Some crazy stuff goes down outside the precinct, and we get a reminder of just who the hero of this story is (hint; it's Barry).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have just no excuse for how long it took to post this. I'm just bad at updating things. So sorry for the delay. I got my exam results back, and I nailed them, which I'm pretty happy about. I've gotten quite a few comments on this work, which is amazing! I love reading each and every one of them (I get surprised when I see proof of anyone actually reading stuff I write). Love you all! And hopefully I'll update soon.
> 
> Also a huge shout out to my ex for proving me with most of Oscar's dialogue (it's bad to plagiarise, so I thought I should acknowledge the genius behind the words).

Singh slammed a file down on Barry’s desk, startling the CSI into dropping his lunch onto the ground.

“Why would you do that, sir?”

Singh rolled his eyes at Barry’s dramatic tone. 

“I’m here to talk more about Oscar. If you are willing? I did some research on him and I felt the need to discuss certain aspects with you.”

Tentatively, Barry nodded, joining the captain at the desk and leaning over to look at the file. A cold chill sprung down his spine, as it always did when he saw Oscar. There on the first page was the smug face of the hulking man, glaring at the camera.

“Right, so this shouldn’t take too long. First off, I would like to know what forms the abuse took. His record with his partners is less than stellar, so I’d like to be able to narrow this down. So how would you describe it? Mental? Verbal? Physical?” Lowering his voice, hesitating slightly, the Captain continued. “Sexual?”

Taking a steadying breath, Barry replied. “The first three mostly. There were…moments of the last one. But I’d also prefer if we didn’t bring that up. I’m not ready to deal with that yet. All of this is too new for me.”

Sensing Barry’s panic rising, Singh raised a placating hand, gesturing that he didn’t need to continue. Meanwhile, he tried to block out the nausea running through him at the news. He didn’t understand how he could have missed his CSI suffering so badly. But he wouldn’t make that mistake again. 

“No, that’s fine, Allen. You’re doing great, no need to go into that any more than you want to. With physical, is there anything you’d feel comfortable expanding on?”

“Well, I guess he mostly used fists, or kicked me around. If he was in a worse mood he’d throw bottles at me or he would use his – his belt. That was less often though.”

Heart now clenched painfully, Singh nodded in understanding, jotting down some notes. 

“Thank you, Allen. You did a really amazing job with that. Now I think it’s time you head home. Joe’s probably lonely by now.”

With a weak smile, Barry packed his equipment and exited the building. Singh, now alone in the lab, slumped into the empty chair, staring at the photo of the bastard who hurt his friend. While there was nothing much that could be done now, he would make sure that if that piece of shit slipped up, he would be there to take him down. He owed Barry that much.

 

Barry had only made it a few steps out of the precinct when he felt giant hands wrap themselves like vines around his wrists, tugging him around the corner. 

“Okay Barr, you’ve had your fun, but enough is enough. You’re coming home with me, for good this time.” Oscar hissed, using his bulk to push the slighter man so that he was pinned against the wall. 

Barry stayed resolutely silent, struggling weakly in the man’s grip.

“Don’t you see what you are without me? You’re nothing. You’re weak. You’re pathetic. You really think you’re smart enough to be in a job like CSI? You really think you’re pretty enough for someone like Snart to love you? You were lucky for me to choose you, and if you don’t come back with me, you’ll end up all by yourself and realize that I was right. I am the only one who can put up with you, so you shouldn’t run away from me. I’m good for you.”

In between every few words, Oscar would lean in, kissing softly at Barry’s neck, smiling in a predatory manner. At his words, all the fight seemed to drain from Barry. His shoulders slumped, and face crumpled, and Oscar could sense victory. He had always been good with his words, and knew he could be very convincing when necessary. Triumphantly, he moved his arms to cage Barry’s frame, pressing himself flush against the younger man, tilting his chin up.

“There Barry, you’re so good. You know I’m right, so come home with me. It’ll be just like the good old times. You won’t need to work again, or see all those people who pretend to care about you. It’ll just be you and me, my love.”

A spark seemed to light in Barry’s eyes, and he tapped slightly into the super speed to weave himself out of the cage of Oscar’s arms until he was standing a few feet away from the man, chin jutting proudly out. Barry gritted his teeth, whispering fiercely at the man towering over him.

“Oscar, leave me alone. Nothing I do is any of your business, and it hasn’t been for many years. You disgust me. You’re a coward. And if you think for a second that I would ever get back with you, you’re an idiot too. I would die a thousand times over rather than get back with you for even a single day. People like you who feel the need to hurt others are nothing but weak, cowardly pricks, and I refuse to be bullied by you anymore. So leave me the fuck alone.”

By the end of his declaration, Barry was nearly screaming; hot tears running down his scrunched up face. 

 

 

David had been leaving the precinct when he heard a scuffle around the corner of the building. Going to investigate, he had heard the tail end of Oscar’s declaration, and had pulled out his gun, waiting for the perfect time to step out and arrest him for assault. As quietly as he could, he had called for back up, who now stood a few feet back from him. When Barry had stood up for himself, Singh’s lips curled into a proud smile at the brave young man. Then, waiting no longer, he gestured for back up to join him as he rounded the corner, pointing his gun directly at Oscar.

“Oscar Williams, you are under arrest. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you by the state. Do you understand what I have said to you?”

David barked at the abuser, moving so he was beside Barry. Protectively, Singh wrapped an arm around Barry, drawing him away from the imposing figure. Oscar seemed to get the hint that he couldn’t win this fight, because he settled on a scowl in their direction before dropping to his knees and letting the police officers cuff him. Waiting until he was confident the man had left, David turned around, using his other arm to pull the sobbing CSI into a hug. 

“Come on, Allen. Let’s get you home.”

 

David could honestly say it was not often that he was happy seeing Leonard Snart and Mick Rory. Yet, walking through the door, clutching onto the still crying hero of Central City, he felt nothing but relief at the sight of the two felons tucked together on Joe’s couch, opposite the detective. At the noise of David entering the room, all three men jumped to their feet, hurrying toward the pair.

“David! What happened? Why is Barry crying?” Joe asked, alarmed at their appearance. 

Sighing, David manoeuvred the young CSI over to the couch that had been previously occupied by the two criminals, seating himself beside Barry.

“Why don’t you all sit down? Then we can talk, shall we?”


End file.
